Media) | T: +46 (0)73-267 16 83 Maria Johansson (Honda Sweden) | T: +46 (0)73-699 07 09

Honda Racing team Sweden and Rickard Rydell all set for WTCC opener

Argentina, March 5, 2015

After a winter filled with anticipation, this weekend finally sees the 2015 FIA World Touring Car Championship get underway in Argentina. Joining the grid for the first time will be Honda Racing team Sweden – the only outfit from the Scandinavian country to feature in an official world championship motor racing series – spearheaded by star driver Rickard Rydell. Following almost two years of hard work behind the scenes, this is the moment it all boils down to; facing the opposition out on track.

47-year-old Rydell is one of Sweden’s most experienced and successful racing drivers of the modern era, having clinched titles in both the British (1998) and Scandinavian (2011) Touring Car Championships and raced full-time in the WTCC between 2005 and 2009. 2015 marks Rydell’s return to the international touring car stage, as he embarks on an all-Swedish assault on the world championship.

Hosting the first round of the season is the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo, a 4.805 km circuit that first appeared on the WTCC calendar in 2013. Two races will be contested over the weekend; both of them taking place on Sunday evening CET.

For team quotes ahead of the WTCC curtain-raiser, please see next page.

FAST FACTS - ARGENTINA

 While this weekend marks Rydell’s first official appearance as a Honda driver, it will not be his maiden outing in a Honda car. In the fall of 2004, Rydell participated in a local touring car race in, fittingly, the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, although he was forced to retire when running second with just four laps to go.

 The Honda Racing team Sweden project has been conceived thanks to a tie-up between Honda Sweden and Swedish specialist motorsport outfit NIKA Racing, which competed in the WTCC back in 2013. Back then, the team managed to claim an impressive three overall race wins despite holding privateer status, but a radical rules overhaul ahead of 2014 saw the arrival of the new TC1 era – which heralds a set of entirely new challenges for the Honda Racing team Sweden venture.

 Argentina is the home country of reigning WTCC champion José María López (Citroën), who has also won three out of the four races staged so far at the Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo. Frenchman Yvan Muller (Citroën) is the only other driver to have claimed WTCC victory at the venue.

ROUND 1 WTCC Race of Argentina | Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo

Circuit Data Lap length: 4.805 km Race distance: 2 ×13 laps

Lap Records Race: José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC), 1m45.926s (163.337 kph), 03/08/2014 Qualifying: José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC), 1m43.766s (166.73 kph), 02/08/2014

CONTACT DETAILS FURTHER INFORMATION Nicklas Karlsson (team principal) | T: +46 (0)73-342 83 83 www.hondaracingteamsweden.se Stefan Lindberg (sporting director) | T: +46 (0)70-587 93 35 www.honda.se Mattias Persson (PR/media) | T: +46 (0)73-267 16 83 www.fiawtcc.com Maria Johansson (Honda Sweden) | T: +46 (0)73-699 07 09

TEAM QUOTES

Rickard Rydell (driver)

”I am really looking forward to getting the season underway. I’ve been waiting for this weekend for the past year, and I’m truly excited about this brand new adventure with Honda – even though I’m well aware that we’re currently not where we want to be. The delay of the car means that we haven’t completed a full testing programme. We would have needed four or five more days in the bag to learn about the set-up, but the one test we did manage to do was all positive.

”The TC1 is a lot faster than the type of car I used to race in the WTCC, but it has got similar weight distribution and I think it suits my driving style. Honda have been working hard over the winter to close the gap to Citroën, but we have to be realistic and, personally, I’d be happy if we can run in the upper half of the midfield in the early races. I’ve never driven the track here in Argentina and our rivals have a year’s experience of the new rules, so we do have a lot of catching up to do initially.

”My target for the season is to score at least two podiums, and while I would never underestimate the challenge ahead of us, I’m feeling quietly optimistic. We have got a very effective, strong team – just look at the history of where we’re coming from – and I’m convinced that there is real potential in this project.”

Nicklas Karlsson (team principal)

”This is a big day, and a big weekend, for Honda Racing team Sweden. There is a tremendous amount of work behind this programme, put in by every member of the team and by our partners, and to finally have made it onto the grid here in Argentina is an emotional experience.

”We now face the next, highly demanding challenge. A new car, a new set of regulations, and several new tracks – that’s just part of what we have to deal with in 2015. Thanks to our relationship with Honda in Japan and JAS Motorsport, however, we know that we’ve been given strong tools in the shape of the Honda Civic TC1 – and Rickard Rydell needs no further introduction. We will take things step by step and make sure to reinforce the team over the early parts of the season, and we then hope to be in a position to challenge the more established outfits later this summer.”

Stefan Lindberg (sporting director)

”Honda Racing team Sweden is a project that took almost two years to realise. It has taken a lot of effort from everyone involved, and we’re proud to have made it this far and to become the only Swedish world championship team in the sport.

”This, however, is just the beginning of this exciting journey. We have got a long-term agenda and are continuously working on ways to strengthen the team for the future. It will take some time, and we go into this season in a very humble frame of mind, but we are here to eventually join the battle out front in the WTCC.”

Elisabeth Levinsohn (head of marketing, Honda Sweden)

”2015 is a year of much excitement for Honda, both internationally and on the Swedish market. Honda Racing team Sweden’s participation in the WTCC, with one of our most iconic drivers behind the wheel, gives us a very relevant platform on which to communicate our heritage and passion for the sport. Honda’s strong presence in the WTCC, coupled with the return to Formula 1, makes this an exciting time for us – particularly with no fewer than five new Honda car models set to be launched in 2015. We look forward to what is guaranteed to be a thrilling year.”

HONDA RACING TEAM SWEDEN Sweden’s only world championship-level motor racing outfit. Announced at a press conference in Stockholm in early 2014, the project has come to fruition thanks to the combined efforts of Honda Sweden and specialist motorsport squad NIKA Racing, which competed in the WTCC back in 2013. Back then, the team managed to claim an impressive three overall race wins despite holding privateer status, but a radical rules overhaul ahead of 2014 saw the arrival of the new TC1 era – which heralds a set of entirely new challenges for the Honda Racing team Sweden venture. NIKA Racing also ran Rickard Rydell to the 2011 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship title. www.hondaracingteamsweden.se

RICKARD RYDELL 47-year-old Rickard Rydell is one of Sweden’s most experienced and successful racing drivers of the modern era, having clinched titles in both the British (1998) and Scandinavian (2011) Touring Car Championships and becoming the first-ever Swede to claim victory in the prestigious Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix in China (1992). Rydell raced full-time in the WTCC between 2005 and 2009, with 2015 marking his return to the international touring car arena as he embarks on an all-Swedish attack on the world championship – flying the flag for Honda Racing team Sweden. www.rickardrydell.com

HONDA CIVIC TC1 WTCC Rickard Rydell’s weapon for the 2015 WTCC campaign is a brand new Honda Civic TC1 WTCC, built to the latest and most advanced set of technical regulations. The car had its shakedown test at Italian Honda tuner JAS Motorsport’s facilities on the outskirts of Milan in late February, before being flown to the curtain-raising round in Argentina. The introduction of the TC1 regulations in 2014 has made WTCC cars faster – and more spectacular – than ever before.

FIA WTCC The FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) is sanctioned by international motorsport governing body the FIA, and currently features entries from Honda, Citroën, Lada and Chevrolet.

The 2015 WTCC campaign boosts 12 rounds staged all across the world, taking teams and drivers to a wide variety of venues and exotic locations. Among new additions to the calendar are Buriram, Thailand, and a season-ending visit to Qatar, while a much-talked-about mid-May appearance at the fabled Nürburgring Nordschleife promises its own fair share of drama. www.fiawtcc.com

2015 CALENDAR WTCC

Race 1: Argentina (Autódromo Termas de Río Hondo) 6-8 March Race 2: Morocco (Circuit Moulay El Hassan) 17-19 April Race 3: Hungary (Hungaroring) 1-3 May Race 4: Germany (Nürburgring Nordschleife) 15-16 May Race 5: Russia (Moscow) 5-7 June Race 6: Slovakia (Slovakia Ring) 19-21 June Race 7: France (Paul Ricard) 26-28 June Race 8: Portugal (Vila Real) 10-12 July Race 9: Japan 11-13 September Race 10: China (Shanghai) 25-27 September Race 11: Thailand (Buriram) 30 October-1 November Race 12: Qatar (Losail) 20-22 November